Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Thursday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, August 14 (game #529).

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #530) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Labor intensive

NYT Strands today (game #530) – hint #2 – clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • GRAB
  • HORSE
  • CROSS
  • RAGE
  • YARD
  • TWIG

NYT Strands today (game #530) – hint #3 – spangram letters

How many letters are in today’s spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #530) – hint #4 – spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: bottom, 3rd column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #530) – the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 530 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #530, are…

  • DISHES
  • GARBAGE
  • GROCERIES
  • LAUNDRY
  • VACUUMING
  • SPANGRAM: WHAT A CHORE
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 hints

I really struggled with today’s Strands – in fact you could say WHAT A CHORE.

From finding any game words to unlocking the spangram – which I eventually got after finding WHAT and CHORE seperately – it was all a bit of an unseemly struggle, much like my attempts to stay on top of household tasks.

I know people who actually enjoy doing the DISHES – or “washing up”, as we call it in the UK – convincing themselves that it is a valuable bit of mindful time where they can listen to a podcast and do something useful while submerging their hands in warm soapy water. And these are people with dishwashers in their homes.

That said, I have my weirdness too. I actually look forward to “bin day”, the one day a week when I feel as if I am getting rid of GARBAGE rather than acquiring more of it.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Thursday, August 14, game #529)

  • LEGITIMATE
  • TRUE
  • KOSHER
  • GENUINE
  • REAL
  • AUTHENTIC
  • SPANGRAM: BONAFIDE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day.